Indigenous Carrier: Trials of the Indigenous Carrier Basin Successfully Conducted at CSL

Kochi – In a major development, successful Indigenous Aircraft Carrier (IAC) trials were conducted at Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) on Monday, marking the entry into the final phase of the ambitious warship construction project. Basin Trial is testing the ship’s machinery and equipment in buoyant conditions prior to sea trials. With the successful completion of Basin Trials, IAC entered the final phase of the project, according to a statement from Defense. Sea trials are planned for the first half of 2021. “With the concentrated and committed efforts of the Indian Navy and Cochin Shipyard Limited, it is only a matter of time before IAC Nations Dream is sailing the high seas with the National Tricolor, “the statement said.

Despite the restrictions imposed by the lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, CSL and the Indian Navy worked as a cohesive team to ensure the timely completion of all essential tasks leading up to the Carrier Basin Tests. says the statement.

“It is solely due to astute planning and implementation of the necessary security measures on the ground by the Navy and the Shipyard that the work aboard the Carrier could progress smoothly even during the peak of the pandemic,” he said.

The basin tests were conducted in the presence of Vice Admiral AK Chawla, Commander-in-Chief Flag Officer of Naval Command South, and Shri Madhu S Nair, President and Managing Director of Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL).

On board the IAC, extensive testing of the four LM2500 gas turbines, main gearboxes, shafts and controllable pitch propellers, along with their integrated control systems, were carried out during these tests.

In addition, during the port’s testing phase the main auxiliary equipment and systems were also tested, such as the steering gear, air conditioning plants, deck machinery and all internal communication equipment, according to the statement.

NV Suresh Babu, Director of Operations, CSL, Commodore Ishan Tandon, Director of the Aircraft Carrier Acceptance Test Team (CATT), Commodore Sameer Aggarwal, Chief of Staff (Technical) Naval Command South, Commodore Cyril Thomas, Superintendent of Production of Warships (WPS) and Commodore Vivek Dahiya, commanding officer (designated) were present.

The IAC project is also a true example of Atmanirbhar Bharat, with about 75 percent of the material and equipment on board the IAC that are indigenous, according to the statement.

In addition, more than 50 Indian manufacturers have been directly involved in this project which has provided significant employment opportunities to Indian citizens.

About 2,000 Indians received direct employment on board the IAC on a daily basis and over 40,000 received indirect employment.

Furthermore, about 80-85 percent of the project cost of roughly Rs 20,000 crore has been reinvested in the Indian economy, according to the statement.